After exporting my resample into DAW...

First let me say how instrumental this forum has been for me in the last year and a half in my MPC developement. But now that I bought a Firebox interface (which comes with Cubase LE), I am having a few DAW related problems. Most of them I was able to address by the use of this forum, BUT....

The problem I am having arises when I resample a sequence in my 1k and then import it into Cubase. It just doesn't sound the same as it does in the 1k. Especially the low end.

I assume this is a lack of DAW proficiency on my part? Would the fact that I use a lot of low pass filters in my samples make any difference? Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

1st - using a lot of lowpass filters is real tempting but tehy are awful muddy. i love the 1k filters but i'm not gonna lie as far as eq goes they don't sound too sweet. use em sparingly in my advice, as flavor, not substance

It just doesn't sound the same as it does in the 1k. Especially the low end.

do you have any master effects on your mpc that you wouldn't have on qbase? ie, compression, eq? if so, turn em off and they should sound more similar.

basically when you step out of the mpc room into cubase, you ahve to work on getting that sound all over again. boost the low end of the sample in cubase. apply a master compression. from the mpc1000 to a live audio daw (acid, reaper, qbase, prtools, etc) is like moving from a closet to a concert hall. you suddenly have more space to move around in.

that's why the "sound" or "quality" you get from the mpc1000 is raelly secondary to the instrument's strenght - putting notes where you want em to go.

also
i did just see that you said you're "exporting your resample into cubase"

now
i have HEARD (no first hand experience) that resampling leads to weaker sounding samples than "tracking out" through a mixer into a daw.

if this is the case, i don't know what to tell you - don't resample internally maybe? if someone else can give him a better idea of this resampling weakness please do, i'm no expert

M-A wrote:First let me say how instrumental this forum has been for me in the last year and a half in my MPC developement. But now that I bought a Firebox interface (which comes with Cubase LE), I am having a few DAW related problems. Most of them I was able to address by the use of this forum, BUT....

The problem I am having arises when I resample a sequence in my 1k and then import it into Cubase. It just doesn't sound the same as it does in the 1k. Especially the low end.

I assume this is a lack of DAW proficiency on my part? Would the fact that I use a lot of low pass filters in my samples make any difference? Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

also look into learning how to mix. i have a firebox but never used the software bundled, so im not sure how many vsts came with that version of cubase. but go to www.voxengo.com and download their eq, spectral analyzer(SPAN), and whatever other processers you might need. the mpc always sounds great through direct monitoring, but i always have to clean up any actual tracks that make it out of the box itself.

the span will show you what freqs are the most loud and most quiet, in other words, what needs to be turned up and turned down. its a great tool.

Hey good looks on the tips. And all the other tips you have unknowingly supplied me with. As far as the resampling goes, perhaps you are right about the quality. Do you think it may sound better if I exported it through the interface as opposed to USB? Through MIDI or something like that? And is there a trick to using the low pass filters as substance? I'm feelin the concert hall analogy by the way.

Good lookin cozy. I will get on that sh-t ASAP.

M-A wrote:Hey good looks on the tips. And all the other tips you have unknowingly supplied me with. As far as the resampling goes, perhaps you are right about the quality. Do you think it may sound better if I exported it through the interface as opposed to USB? Through MIDI or something like that? And is there a trick to using the low pass filters as substance? I'm feelin the concert hall analogy by the way.

i generally record through the analog outputs through the firebox. i record each instrument seperatly, kicks, snares, hats, any other drums/percussions, basslines, vocal samples, whatever. i record everything for the length of the track, 8 bars, 16, and loop it. if i have alternate drum patterns or chorus patterns, they all get recorded seperatly too. i like to have total control. and i go easy on the mpc fx. maybe for scratch pad, but when i track them out, i record them dry. my daw has much better fx. and the ones i mentioned are a lot better too.

mixing is essential to a clean sound. im not a pro, but i spend a lot of time trying to get my mix right. otherwise it sounds muddy, and nasty. i always try to hear my tracks as if they were someone elses, as far as the mix goes. youll get the hang of it. and then youll be mixing as you go.

one thing you will hear, less is better. dont over process, unless thats what youre going for.


good luck.

Do you think it may sound better if I exported it through the interface as opposed to USB?

maybe. like i said unfortunately i dont have much experience in resampling like that - i very rarely do it. however, if it's true that it does in fact weaken the sound (which follows the example of other resampling samplers, the resample is of lower quality for some reason) then it's best to run it through something else. i use the delta66 and my mackie120vlz.

Through MIDI or something like that?

i actually don't advise this (this being recording the midi into a DAW app with the samples loaded to patches in the DAW (drumgroups? i dunno). because here, you're giving up your mpc's midi timing to a pc's less accurate midi timing. that means the final render of your track will have a little looser timing than your mpc. this may or may not bother you, it depends on your style/control addiction. i can't deal with it.

And is there a trick to using the low pass filters as substance?

yeah - just leave the sample full in, don't worry about a lowpass. unless you're trying to filter out another instrument, record noise or whatever - in that case, either find another sample or don't worry about it. it's often an immediate reflex to reach for the filter, but think of it this way:

hearing the same effect (in this case lowpass) is like typing in bold all the time. at some point, it really ceases to mean anything.

here's one thing i like to do a lot though - put a lowpass filter on everything in a program, but leave it at 100. then turn the resonance up to 100. the sound suddenly glistens a bit at the high end. i enjoy this sound, because it's subtle. plus, it gives you a filter to play with using a qlink should you ever need it.

the important thing about filters is that they're really supposed to be dynamic - changing as the song progresses, often in fast interludes. using filters is like writing an additional section besides bass, drums, lead instruments and texture-- and it is consciously applied or NOT applied to all of the above.

wild stuff but hopefully you got what i'm talking about. this is all very much my opinion too so you know

here's one thing i like to do a lot though - put a lowpass filter on everything in a program, but leave it at 100. then turn the resonance up to 100. the sound suddenly glistens a bit at the high end. i enjoy this sound, because it's subtle. plus, it gives you a filter to play with using a qlink should you ever need it.

never thought of that. simple, but effective. good tip!

it's one of those things i like to do to pretend i'm giving my music that distinct "mpc1000 sound"

haha

lol. while were here, i copped a vcr. yes im biting your style sorry, but i love lofi! do you have any tips? i mean, its pretty basic, record to tape, re record to mpc, do you do it pre mix, or after mix? im going to experiment. im thinking just the drum track, post mix, to make it sound nasty, and then the vinyl on top, just to see if there are any interesting contrasts there.

record to tape, re record to mpc, do you do it pre mix, or after mix?

here's what i mentioned in the other thread about tape -

record your loop from the mpc into your daw as a wav, and then pitch it down 5 semitones.

then record THAT to the vhs, and then back to DAW again. now, pitch it up 5 semitones and check out what you have.

im going to experiment.

that's all it is man
do this at different speeds
and do it the other way, record pitched up to vhs and then pitch down the rebound

why pitch up/down? and then repitch? what does that do? i mean i will do that too, im just curious though.

and whats the thread title on tape? i missed that one.